Just kidding, they’re already dead. However, from today’s patch notes:
Faction starbase module blueprint do no longer drop from exploration sites.
Data sites are in serious need of a loot table re-balance - I didn’t think they could get any worse, but what is the point in even running them after this patch? (I don’t run them now - I don’t think anyone does - but with this change they are now truly useless). CCPlz. What is the point.
I share your sentiments. They really need to do something about this. if they don’t want to add any BPs or anything else, then perhaps they can add some sort of a “document” or “tracker” to the loot table that would be equivalent to getting an escalation and be subject to the same rules including expiration.
Or something like that, or whatever, just do something good.
Right? Or even remove them from the game so we don’t have to scan this useless garbage down haha
I thought the point of data sites are the new filaments?
The Filaments are basicly worth nothing anymore, you can now buy them below a million in the Tradehub of your choice. It is not worth running the sites what so ever anymore, even though the Filaments were a try to make it worth again, they are just way too common to be of any value anymore.
Oh okay, I didn’t know. Last time I read about them they were complaining you don’t find any.
That was right after the expansion launch where everyone wanted filaments. Now the demand has dimished quite a lot while the supply has been increased massively. It’s a natural progression for new expansion items.
Even the null sec datas usually drop calm filaments as well, which nobody wants.
The problem with most of the PvP gamer’s in eve online is that they want to turn Eve Online into a Valkyrie game environment. The PvP only gamer’s have been trying to make Eve Online into PvP only since the very first day that Eve Online was published.
I am not sure what that has to do with data site loot.
There has also been a ton of new PVE content lately, from burner missions to Abyssal space.
Use the"documents" idea above and put ghost sites only in those. That would spike their value!
Somehow Omega-clone gating exploration over the most basic stuff could help too.
Just brain storming 
You could also add mandatory materials for pirate ships production to data sites. The materials already exist in the database and faction ships are in ever increasing demand. It has been suggested before but CCP opted for trying something new instead of using existing things first to fix multiple things at once.
Mate, there ain’t no thing as pure PvP players. That’s a myth accidentially started by those who never PvP, who’re thinkin’ the others work the same way. We ■■■■■■■ don’t!
I would like to start a petition to stop data and relic site boxes contents from being cargo scanned so that they have to be opened to Know what’s within. This will stop the practise of people opening only one box and leaving the site which cannot re-spawn making it frustrating for thousands of players who do Not know the site has been ‘carefully’ picked after spending time scanning it down,
Or data and relic sites de-spawn 10 minutes after Any box is opened and are thus subject to the normal re-spawn cycle.
So that’s why I find sites that have one unopened can, and when I open it … carbon 
exactly.
People want to be assholes so they let a worthless carbon to piss you off and “reduce competition” . That is morale war.
The funny thing is, they reduce their own income by this way :
In most sectors of my home space (sec 0.5), there are 2-3 sigs available. 1-2 of those will be wormholes, the rest will be partially looted sites.
When I travel out 10-20 jumps, toward losec/nullsec, I find the same, until I get to 0.4 or lower. There, the ratios are the same, but instead of looted sites, you find 1-2 sites that have not been looted, but are, instead, camped.
The only uncamped sites I find lately are in wormholes. They are dangerous too, of course, but at least available, and a lot of fun.
I don’t have much pvp skill. If you care to look at my killboard, it is more of a dieboard. I stay much more to the PVE side. Right now, mission running is the only guaranteed income other than mining.
I don’t know what the fix would be tbh. If CCP doubled the loot, it would just mean that much more competition for the sites. For now, I will just wander WH space and take my chances.
o7
waiting cloaked in a site until some noob explorer takes the loot is not pvp. It’s starving for kills, ie the player is very bad at pvp and needs to stroke his ego.
Wow, this devolved.
When I explore, I leave all kinds of crap behind. I am pvp fit (using skills, not mids to scan) and can’t hold all that garbage. When going out to null I hit the high/lowsec sites and don’t care if they don’t respawn in a region I am leaving shortly. This speeds up my scanning dramatically! Also, It gets me in the mindset for the evening and trolls you guys (as I am finding out). When in null, if I land on a T2 scanner frig, I give him an Oh-Seven and carry on. A T1 scanner frig gets 10mil and some pointers if they are young. If there is an astero scrub or scanner inty I treat him like an extra loot can.
I don’t have friends to brag to about blowing people up, so I don’t do it for that. I AM a bitter vet and don’t care for the new wave of explorers that we’re told by the internet that this is the new moneymaker for alphas. The ones paying attention, and taking GIT GUD to heart, earn the right to keep their ship and loot.
Want unmolested sites, don’t explore in the same highsec, high travel areas as 10000 other alphas…risk=reward.
In the words of the developers themselves:
Just cargo scan them yourself to see they’re empty and don’t hack them. Personally, I leave the empty ones there to slow down anyone exploring the same area as me. I’ve went to the bother of scanning things down and cargo scanning cans to get info on what’s empty and what isn’t. It may give me a tiny advantage at best but I don’t see why I should lose that advantage just because someone else might get there slower than me.